The Yellow Sparrow Was About to Appear

"You are..." Xiao Yan frowned tightly. From Black Robes' body, he sensed an extremely terrifying Dou Qi, not the least bit weaker than Hai Bodong's.

"Hehe, since you're both going to die anyway, there's no harm in telling you." Black Robes removed his hood, revealing the utterly ordinary face of a middle-aged man. With a sinister smile, he said, "I am the Shadow Department Leader of the Chu Yun Empire's Royal Family, The Hidden One, Wa Ke!"

"You were behind the first round of this competition, weren't you?" Liuli turned to look at him, without the slightest trace of shock or panic in her eyes.

"So what if I was? The champion of this Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Competition belongs to our Chu Yun Empire!" Wa Ke admitted it openly, leaning casually against a tree with an exceptionally relaxed air.

A Dou Master and a Dou Ling could not stir up any waves before him.

"Heh. If you weren't so unconfident in your own country's Alchemists, why would you resort to such despicable methods?" Liuli shook her head contemptuously. "You came this time to deal with the two stronger contestants as well, didn't you?"

"A Jia Nan Academy student and a genius Alchemist sneak out of the city for a midnight date, mysteriously vanish, and are ultimately swallowed by Magical Beasts. That's quite a nice scene, isn't it?" Wa Ke drew a dagger from beneath his black robe. The jet-black blade gleamed with cold light as the Dou Qi within him erupted without restraint.

Within Jia Ma Holy City, its special defensive formation meant that once he unleashed his Dou Qi, Jia Xingtian would notice. But outside the city, even if he erupted with full force, it would still take Jia Xingtian quite some time to detect him.

"Miss Gongsun, this situation is rather troublesome!" Xiao Yan said with difficulty as he watched the middle-aged man's surging Dou Qi press down on them like mountains and seas, cold sweat appearing on his brow.

Liuli, on the other hand, appeared utterly unconcerned. She remained seated honestly at the edge of the cliff and even leisurely took another candied hawthorn skewer from the bundle of grass.

"Dying together at least means you'll have company." Wa Ke gave a cold laugh, killing intent rising in his eyes.

The Chu Yun Empire favored poison, and most strong individuals who played with poison were somewhat twisted. Wa Ke was an exception among them. He neither used poison nor had any perverse tendencies. Thus, when he killed, he was exceptionally decisive, without the slightest desire to torture his victims.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and slowly raised both hands. One white and one green flame appeared in his palms.

"Oh? Heavenly Flames?" Wa Ke was slightly surprised, then a look of delight appeared on his face.

Wa Ke's Dou Qi was metal-attributed, but most people of the Chu Yun Empire liked cultivating poisonous Dou Qi, which was naturally repelled and restrained by Heavenly Flames. If he controlled Heavenly Flames, he would gain an advantage against those strong individuals of the Chu Yun Empire, and his status would rise once more.

"Boy, are you willing to hand over the Heavenly Flames on your own? I can spare your life and let you become my slave," Wa Ke suddenly said in a changed tone.

Absorbing Heavenly Flames was extremely dangerous. Compared with killing someone and seizing ownerless Heavenly Flames, it was better to have their owner "willingly" transfer them to him. That would reduce the risk to its lowest point.

"Sorry, but I went through untold hardships to obtain this thing, so..." Xiao Yan raised his head and stared directly at him. "Go to hell!"

Wa Ke's face darkened, and his killing intent surged. He straightened up, dagger in hand, and charged at Xiao Yan at high speed!

"So fast!" Xiao Yan was startled. The Purple Cloud Wings swiftly unfolded as he shot into the sky.

Wa Ke missed his target. Looking at Xiao Yan in the air, he said in surprise, "A Flying Dou Technique? You've got some skill."

Xiao Yan did not leave. He merely looked down indifferently at the middle-aged man as his hands began to come together in the air. The two clusters of Heavenly Flames slowly began to fuse.

He was facing a Dou Emperor-level strong individual. If he did not unleash Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame with all his strength, he might truly die here.

"Still, this is as far as you go!" Wa Ke snorted coldly. His wings rapidly spread as he shot toward the sky.

He could sense the terrifying fluctuations produced by the fusion of those two flames, so he would never allow the boy to complete his attack.

Just as he was about to reach the retreating Xiao Yan, a Silver Longsword came flying toward him, aimed directly at Wa Ke's head.

Wa Ke's body paused. He extended his left hand, and powerful black Dou Qi condensed into a huge illusory shield, blocking the Silver Longsword's thrust.

Yet that brief opening was enough for Xiao Yan to widen the distance between himself and Wa Ke.

Xiao Yan looked down and saw Liuli wave at him. He nodded in thanks as the fusion of the Heavenly Flames in his hands accelerated continuously.

Having used it completely once before, he could now basically control the release of this power. He would still suffer considerable injuries afterward, but he would never be as miserable as he had been the first time. As long as he severely wounded this Dou Emperor before him, they would have hope of escaping!

"Little girl, I originally wasn't very willing to kill you, but since you still don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being merciless!" Wa Ke snorted.

He threw out the dagger in his hand as black Dou Qi gradually wrapped around it. By the time the dagger reached Liuli, the Dou Qi had transformed into a massive wolf radiating overwhelming power.

Profound Tier High Grade Dou Skill—Shadow Transformation.

The giant wolf formed from Dou Qi swept up a fierce gale, opened its bloody maw, and bit straight at Liuli.

Liuli pressed down her wind-tousled hair. One black and one white flame condensed into two flaming longswords before her, shooting toward the giant wolf's eyes.

The giant wolf swiftly dodged. The flaming longswords failed to strike it, but they disrupted its attack.

Taking advantage of that opening, Liuli jumped straight off the cliff.

The giant wolf froze for a moment, then rapidly ran to the cliff's edge and looked down, checking whether the Young Girl had truly fallen to her death. Yet there was nothing below.

"Idiot, I'm up here!" A delicate shout rang out, and it suddenly felt an intense heat above its head.

It looked up and discovered the Young Girl floating in the air, holding a longsword engraved with a Seven-star Pattern. The Seven-star Pattern shone with crimson light.

"Roar!" The giant wolf roared furiously, shaking its head and opening its huge mouth. A Jet-black Light Pillar shot violently toward Liuli. If it struck her, even a Dou Wang expert would suffer considerable damage.

Yet Liuli did not dodge. Instead, she lightly raised her longsword and pointed it at the Light Pillar. The Dou Qi within this Doppelganger circulated madly, and the crimson patterns on the sword grew increasingly brilliant.

Earth-tier Low-Grade Dou Skill—Starfall Inch Radiance!

The longsword thrust forward, firing a thin white ray. Before the Jet-black Light Pillar, it seemed as insignificant as an ant.

However, when the ray collided with the Jet-black Light Pillar, the enormous black column was instantly sliced in half! The ray, like a needle, drilled directly through the black column and toward the giant wolf's open mouth.

The giant wolf had only just reacted. It hurriedly stopped firing the Light Pillar, shut its mouth, and leaped to the left in an attempt to evade the attack.

But it was too late. Like a living thing, the white line curved slightly before finally drilling into the giant wolf's body.

"Burst!" Liuli lightly clenched the hand that was not holding the sword. White light began to shine from the giant wolf's head, gradually growing clearer until it was bright enough to illuminate the surrounding area.

The giant wolf had just begun to roar when its body suddenly stiffened. It stood there motionless, and then—

"Boom!" A massive explosion rang out. The giant wolf's entire head instantly turned to ash. At last, it slowly lost its vitality and fell to the ground.

After some time, it transformed into a black dagger.

Liuli slowly landed, the wings behind her back dispersing. She looked at the dagger on the ground, then raised her gaze to the sky and fell into thought.

Above the sky, a pursuit was unfolding. Xiao Yan pushed the Purple Cloud Wings to their limit, reaching the fastest speed he had ever achieved. The Heavenly Flames in his hands were gradually compressed and began to fuse. The astonishing vibrations also brought beads of cold sweat to his forehead.

Wa Ke chased after him with a calm expression, another dagger in hand. He swung it rapidly, sending wave after wave of jet-black Dou Qi slashes flying toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan was startled. Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his flight angle and barely evaded those attacks. He had only one choice now: fly toward Jia Ma Holy City as hard as he could, then detonate Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame in the sky. Such a disturbance would surely draw the attention of every strong individual in the city.

"You can't escape. Be good and stop, then come back with me. Hand over the Heavenly Flames willingly, and I guarantee I won't kill you. When the time comes, whether you stay or leave will be up to you!" Wa Ke shouted from behind, accelerating once more as the air boomed behind him.

He made a grasping motion toward the front. Heaven and Earth Energy was mobilized, and the air before Xiao Yan became extremely unstable, greatly reducing his speed.

"Damn it!" Xiao Yan stared nervously at the middle-aged man drawing closer behind him, knowing that he would not make it to Jia Ma Holy City.

He suddenly stopped in midair, turned, and faced the rapidly approaching Wa Ke.

Seeing Xiao Yan stop, Wa Ke assumed he had given up struggling. He could not help but smile sinisterly as he stopped five zhang in front of Xiao Yan.

"Enough. The game of cat and mouse ends here. Seal your Dou Qi yourself!" Wa Ke stood in the air and raised his left hand. The energy between Heaven and Earth trembled violently, gradually wrapping around Xiao Yan and intentionally or otherwise locking him down. With great confidence, he said, "I know the thing in your hands is terrifying, so put it away! Otherwise, I can kill you before you finish condensing it."

"..." Xiao Yan said nothing. He only continued gasping heavily, his back drenched in sweat, while the condensation in his hands showed no signs of stopping.

Wa Ke narrowed his eyes as a vicious aura erupted from him, his voice turning cold. "I'll say it once more, and for the last time. Put it away! Or die!"

Xiao Yan still did not answer. A black, ancient Storage Ring slowly slipped from his finger and fell toward the ground. Xiao Yan lowered his head slightly, watching it disappear farther and farther from sight as intense reluctance welled up in his heart and filled his eyes.

So the Three Year Agreement ends at its final step!

Goodbye, Master. I hope you can find another disciple as outstanding as me!

Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze and stared directly at Wa Ke. His eyes gradually became resolute and sharp. Hot blood rushed to his head as he laughed madly and roared, "Do you think you're worthy of taking my Heavenly Flames with your life?!"

His hands rapidly formed seals, and Buddha's Fury Lotus Flame advanced another step in its fusion. A lotus began to slowly form within the flames.

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" Wa Ke completely lost interest. Dagger in hand, he shot forward like a cannonball, stabbing straight toward Xiao Yan's head.

"Xiao Cai!" Xiao Yan shouted. A streak of color flew from his sleeve, rushing straight toward Wa Ke.

Wa Ke focused his gaze and discovered that it was a Small Snake with Colorful Scales. The little snake had shed all its former laziness and cuteness. Its tongue flicked out, and with a sweep of its tail, it whipped up an enormous shockwave toward Wa Ke.

"Trifling tricks!" Wa Ke's eyes were filled with disdain. Though this small snake looked peculiar, its strength was only at the Dou Wang level. As a Five-star Dou Huang, dealing with it would be effortless.

Profound Tier Low Grade—Absolute Shadow Stab!

The dagger in his hand stabbed rapidly forward. Wave after wave of black Dou Qi condensed into enormous drill-like spikes, ruthlessly piercing toward the small snake and Xiao Yan.

Seeing this, the small snake hurriedly blocked Xiao Yan, intercepting every black spike. The spikes slammed into its body and sent it flying, smashing it directly into a mountaintop.

With those obstructions gone, Wa Ke fixed his target on Xiao Yan again. This time, however, the confident sinister smile on his face slowly vanished.

In Xiao Yan's palm, a Cyan-white Flame Lotus Seat slowly emerged.

Xiao Yan's face was pale at this moment, and he finally could not suppress it any longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which fell onto the lotus seat and instantly evaporated.

"What?!" Wa Ke's eyes filled with shock because he sensed a Death Aura from the lotus seat that could threaten his life.

Xiao Yan looked toward the dust-covered mountaintop, finally setting down the last burden in his heart. Now, only he and the strong individual before him remained!

He slowly closed his eyes, raised his palm, and prepared to push out the fire lotus.

"Madman!" Wa Ke gritted his teeth. His hand gestures changed as he began mobilizing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Energy, forming layer upon layer of black defenses. Immediately afterward, he condensed an enormous black spike before him and rapidly pushed it toward Xiao Yan.

Before this attack could lock onto him and activate, he had to nail Xiao Yan to death!

Just then, a somewhat cold female voice slowly echoed throughout the area. "You'd better not do that, or you'll die horribly!"

Xiao Yan and Wa Ke both froze, and the tension that had reached its peak loosened somewhat.

"Who?!" Wa Ke looked around in confusion. He could not even sense where this voice was coming from.

"Fine. Then I'll say it one last time as well: touch him, and you'll die miserably!" The female voice rang out again, carrying unmistakable killing intent!